Saratoga Springs residents announce candidacy for school board

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SARATOGA SPRINGS — So far four people have announced that they will vie for one of the three City School District Board of Election seats up for election this year.

Current board President Tony Krackeler is seeking his second term and board member Anjeanette Emeka is seeking her third term.

Erika Borman, whose seat is also up this year, did not return a request for comment on whether she’ll be seeking re-election.

In posts on social media Beth Fogarty Braxton and Sharon Dominguez announced they’ll each seek a seat on the board.

Krackeler is the owner of Krackeler Scientific and father of two high school students in the district and one graduate.

“I started in 2020 in the middle of the pandemic and it was a tumultuous time and we had a specific emergency task ahead of us at that point and I guess even though the pandemic is kind of in a different phase the work is still not over,” he said.

He said he wants to ensure the district staff has the resources it needs, as do the students.

Emeka is part of the SUNY Empire State College’s academic affairs department, according to the district website. She has two children.

“I’m very passionate about public education and one of the most important things recently in having a good school district that serves all the students is a functional board and a good relationship with the superintendent and so my hope is to keep the board moving in a forward and productive direction and then also I want to support the district and superintendent while holding them accountable,” she said.

She wants to make sure students receive a great education, she said.

She said she doesn’t believe that board members should have specific issues they want to tackle.

“We should be looking at what comes up at the table and providing guidance and governance but not bringing items to the table, that’s the job of the superintendent and his staff,” she said.

Braxton is a licensed mental health counselor and associate professor of counseling and the chairwoman of the counseling division at SUNY Adirondack. She has one child who graduated from the district, one who is a freshman in high school and one child who is a junior in high school. She said her background in mental health is one reason she decided to run for a seat on the board.

“It just feels like an important time to join the conversation about mental health in our schools. I really see running for the board as a service to the community and I really love being a part of the Saratoga Springs community,” she said.

She also said her mother spent over 30 years teaching in the district and that gave her insight into how challenging it can be in the classroom.

“Prior to the pandemic we were seeing an increase in the needs of students and certainly since the pandemic that has only been exacerbated,” she said.

In her announcement Dominguez said she is seeking a seat on the board because she believes the students “deserve the best education possible,” listing her top priorities as school safety, “preparing students for life after graduation” and ensuring a fair education for all students.

Dominguez declined to comment to The Gazette further at this time.